Eight of the 26 hostages that Hamas is expected to release in the coming few weeks are no longer alive, according to Israeli officials.
Late on Sunday, Hamas provided Israel with long-awaited information about the status of the hostages listed for release during the first phase of the cease-fire agreement in the Gaza war. The move followed intense negotiations over the weekend to resolve a dispute that had threatened to derail the deal.
Under the cease-fire deal, 33 hostages were to be released in the first phase in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners. Seven have already returned home, after more than 15 months in captivity in Gaza. Three civilian women were freed on Jan. 19, the day the provisional cease-fire came into effect, and four female soldiers were released on Jan. 25.
An Israeli government spokesman, David Mencer, said on Monday that Hamas had provided a list indicating that 25 of the 33 hostages were alive and that eight had been killed.
“The list from Hamas matches Israel’s intelligence,” Mr. Mencer added.
The list did not specify who was alive and who was dead by name, but it provided numbers that accorded with more detailed information already in Israel’s hands, according to two Israeli officials.
The Israeli authorities have spoken with the families of the 26 hostages set to be released in the coming weeks after Hamas provided its account, according to the government, though confirmation of the deaths in the form of bodies or DNA evidence is still pending. As a result, eight families of hostages have been told so far only that there is a high probability that their relatives will not return alive.
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